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According to the Council for Responsible Nutrition, 65% of U.S. adults take dietary supplements – adult humans, that is. There are no statistics on the percentage of dogs who get nutritional supplementation beyond what’s already in their dog food. But anecdotal evidence reveals that senior dogs who take daily supplements are showing great signs of successfully slowing down – and evenreversing – the clock.

I know that my two senior dogs, Sheba and Tiki, look pretty good for their age; both are 14. Despite her arthritis, which sadly has crept from her legs to her back, Sheba enjoys the occasional aerobic romp with her much younger packmate, the rowdy rascal Lazarus. And whenever my gigantic, high-energy dog Magnus goes cannonballing through the apartment, it’s Sheba who rushes to put him in his place. You go, old girl!

I chalk up Sheba’s impressive vitality to the supplements she takes every day. Her Omega-3s come from Nordic Naturals Pet Cod Liver Oil, which also works together with FlexPet to lubricate her stiff, creaky joints. Milk Thistle ensures that both Sheba and Tiki have cloud-free eyes, and their heart muscles are strengthened by daily doses of Hawthorn, which I give them to stave off congestive heart failure.

It is wonderful to see these superannuated sweethearts caring for each other in a way that no supplement could – it’s especially sweet when Tiki gently cleans Sheba’s ears and face with his tongue, which he does regularly. And I’m convinced that the combination of longtime companionship and nutritional supplementation is doing wonders to keep them alive.

Sadly, at animal shelters in America and around the world, senior pets were historically the last to be adopted, routinely overlooked in favor of young pups. But that seems to be changing now that supplements are doing their work to keep older dogs energized – and that’s a very happy development.

Last month, FlexPet conducted an online poll of approximately 1,250 pet owners nationwide. Their findings revealed insight that, thanks in part to nutritional supplements, older dogs are becoming more and more adoptable! And that’s great news for the millions of senior pets across this country who find themselves homeless, due to unfortunate circumstances andthrough no fault of their own.

“We received a lot of feedback from participants in the poll who said their lives have become ultra-busy (many saying the economy has them working multiple jobs) and the majority of people polled said they’d now prefer a more senior dog they don’t have to house-train,” said John Sternal of FlexPet. “They even said the thought of raising children was overwhelming, and adopting an older dog was a better fit for their current lifestyle.”

FlexPethas donated its supplement to dozens of animal shelters across the country – like Minnesota’s Animal Ark, picture above -through its FlexPet for Shelters program, launched last year; shelters interested in receiving a donation should contact the company directly.

Perhaps inspired by the youthful energy they’re noticing in senior pets, more and more Americans on two legs are adopting a nutritional supplement regimen too – and sticking with it.

Taking a cue from my dogs, I recently started taking asupplement called everyWOMAN II 40+ made byNew Chapter Organics. This multivitamin, geared at human females over 40 (there’s also one for males called everyMAN II 40+)is routinely sold out at the health food store whenever Ihappen toneed a refill. OK, that’s anecdotal evidence, but it’s a pretty good indicator of the product’s popularity – and of my fellow health nuts’ desire to be proactive about combating the aging process.

Dogsters especially like having reserves of energy – that way, we can enjoy playing and working out with our beloved best friends.